We joined a crowd of Zumba enthusiasts and instructors to raise money for Children in Need at the Christian Life Centre on Cowley Road.
Category: Activities
Things we do in the club
Zumba – preparing for Zumathon
George Martini came, and we had another great Zumba session, which included two routines which we will perform at the Zumathon in December.
Here we are, with a mixture of dance styles – having a good time.
Normal Club with sports
As well as chatting in the Hall, as we often do, we played hockey in the Hall.
Curiosity Carnival
We went to the University Museum of Natural History, as part of Curiosity Carnival. The museum was buzzing with interested members of the public and researchers willing to share their knowledge.
The building itself is fascinating, and the permanent displays, such as the minerals which were available to be touched, and the columns, each of a different stone.
All these features were tempting, but we tried to press on and see the special exhibits, and come back another time to see the parts we could see at any time.
We saw how the colour of our faces as seen by an Infra Red camera matches how much blood flows to different areas.
We learnt a lot about long range weather forecasting from a climate scientist who showed us the tail end of Hurricane Maria, live on the displays at windy.com
Many displays, such as the chance to compare the weight of a cow bone and an ostrich bone of similar size, were rare opportunities, and we learnt a lot about bones. Bones are made of collagen and calcium, and we could feel how a normal bone is very strong; one from which all the minerals have been removed is quite floppy and bends too easily to support any weight, while bones which have no collagen are brittle and crumble under pressure.
This could be seen as a metaphor for they way that people, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, can come together to be tougher and stronger than we are on our own.
Normal Club night with games
After a summer break we try to have a few normal club nights at Wesley Memorial to give members, potential members and visitors a chance to find us.
We also played a few games.
Barbecue at Simon and Sarah's
Simon and Sarah kindly invited us to a barbecue at their house. Unfortunately the warmth of the weather did not match the warmth of the welcome, and we sheltered under gazebos from the showers.
We enjoyed burgers, chicken legs, hot dogs (and vegetarian options).
If you look at the right of the picture, you may recognise the keg of beer.
It came from the Captains Day at Hinksey Heights,
and this was a chance to put it to good use.
Wheelchair Dancing with George Martini
Instead of the Zumba we usually do with him, we had a session of Wheelchair Dance led by George Martini.
Unfortunately the only pictures look much more static than the actual dancing, which took us forward and back, and round in circles, with clapping and changes of direction.
Normal Club with Crafts
We had a crafts night at Wesley Memorial Church, with a wide variety of activities, and some beautiful results to treasure.
Normal Club with Hama Beads
It had been a while since we had the Hama Beads out, so members had an opportunity to make decorative items with them.
Not a lazy Sunday at Avon Tyrrell – breakfast, more activities, and packing to go home
Breakfast was not as elaborate as the Full English we had on Saturday, we had a tasty continental breakfast instead.
We followed this with more activities. People who had not had a chance to do the High Ropes on Saturday now had a chance.
Kelly ready for lift off 
All this activity gave us a good appetite for Chicken Casserole for lunch.
We packed out bags, loaded the minibus and cleaned the chalets.
Finally we had the group photography – always an activity in itself !
Here Helen and Simon are setting up cameras on auto timers to take the picture of the group gathered outside the cabin.